Acanthus

Boss howled as its HP went below the target. Its muscles rippled, contorting into new, terrifying shapes as it grew almost twice its size. No healing. You don’t deserve help. She rushed in, ready to take the hit. The boss’ blades were now so fast she could barely track them. One whizzed at her from above, and Acanthus brought Ajisai up in the nick of time. The blades connected with a sharp ring, and the sand billowed out from underneath them. Dominus began to force the blade down onto Acanthus, and she grunted in effort as the weight took her down to her knees. With a victorious howl, the

Another strike, but Acanthus was ready. She dove between the monstrous lizard’s legs, aiming a blow at its hamstrings. It was too early for a stun, but she could at least keep the lizard imbalanced and on the defensive. Ajisai missed her blow. Useless, worthless. Don't blame me if you can't keep up with the frontliners. With attacks like that, it's wonder you ever decided to brave Aincrad. Acanthus recovered from her failure and squared off with the strange boss. Lizards don’t have hamstrings, and they aren’t bipedal. Then again, none of this is real. If Cardinal wants to draw up some der

Sando Satsu's curved blades crashed into the sands and Acanthus dodged to the left. She reflexively brought her sword low, charging TECH-B to keep the lizard imbalanced. She didn’t want to use her stun so quickly; she had read that the Satsu would grow stronger near the end of the fight. She wanted to make sure she could burst the boss down when that happened. Not that the extra damage would do her in. And if it did, then good riddance. You’re just some mid-level quest boss. Nothing more. Sando Satsu unleashed a horrifying howl, and dove at her, blades spinning. It was all she could do to

Link to Quest: <<Butcher in the Sands>> No consumables. If you can’t win without them, then you’re not strong enough. You don’t deserve to fight the next boss if you can’t handle a simple quest boss. If you die here, then you would have just died on a higher floor—probably dragging someone else down with you. She gripped the blade tightly as the large lizard observed her coldly. Step by step it approached, shaking the arena with each crashing footstep. No running, she told herself. Even if I wanted to, I’m not allowed to run anymore. No step back. That’s why she pick

Back in the sour rumor, Acanthus took another look over the menu. Absinthe had never really been her “thing” in the real world, but if that’s where the damage was, that’s what she’d drink. Besides, it’s not like it was going to get her drunk either way. “Here’s some materials for you. I found something called “hardened grainflower” on floor one. It’s not listed in any recipes for performance crystals, but I thought you might have some use for them, being a brewer and all.” Withdrawing the materials from her inventory, she set them on the table. “I found about ten bundles on my last trip o

Acanthus felt the water around her flowing. She tried her best to concentrate on that, rather than her inability to see. Preparing her sword yet again, she struck out with all her strength. Her blade brushed past the fish’s oily skin, but did absolutely nothing. Maybe I shouldn’t be fighting in the water. Clambering back into the boat like a wet dog, she stood back up and flung her hair out of her eyes. It didn’t work. “The water is cold,” she offered, bringing her blade back up. “I would recommend not getting thrown in. Unless you like being cold, I suppose.” She gauged the now-calm

Acanthus was momentarily distracted by the familiar smell of smoke. It was Oz yet again, billowing strange substances like a chimney. Once the initial shock subsided, she paused to take a deep breath of smoky Earl Gray, focusing in on the smell so that it granted her some accuracy in her strikes. She watched as Cordelia narrowly skidded underneath the King’s spear to attack from behind. Acanthus had to fight from being jealous of the confidence and ability. So she decided to emulate it as best she could. As the King was occupied with swiping at Cordelia, Acanthus moved in, sword art glowi

Acanthus was confused. “Olive trees are not sexually dimorphic. And I think ‘extra virgin’ is what happens when they’re pressed. Not f—” "FAAAAAAAAAAAAATHER!" Her eyes went wide as dinner plates. A thirteen foot-tall toddler clambered through the green archway and eyed the party hungrily. "MAY I EAT THEM, FATHER?" “I suppose that answers my initial question,” said Acanthus with a flat tone. “‘Dominion over fruit’ it is.” In the past, Acanthus had struggled fighting anything humanoid. For whatever reason, she didn’t have any issues in the moment. Part of her chalked it up to the

Crafting for 9/19/2024 Langue de chat consumed (Ambition). +1 EXP per craft (+2 total from Trinket | Tuning Fork) Crafter's respite consumed. (230287) Daily attempts reset! EXP 1500/2559

“I think I could come back here, but…” Acanthus trailed off. “I don’t know how to say it. A place this perfect seems like a danger.” She took a moment to think. “I mean, it would be easy to just come here every day, not ever worry about anything at all. If you’re living in paradise, why would you? But the truth is, we’re stuck in a terrible situation, and the only solution is to gain levels and climb floors. And I don’t think this is the place to do that. Besides,” she added, “the beauty here is a little too... Repetitive, I think is the word? Everything is so green and lush. I think there’s s

THREAD SUMMARY Acanthus EXP: 1,500(Quest) + ([Word Count: 3878/10 = 387.8] * [True Tier: 4] * [Group Factor: 0.6]) = 2,431 * 2 = 4,862 EXP Col: 400 (page) = 400 col Morningstar EXP: ([Word Count: 3878/10 = 387.8] * [True Tier: 7] * [Group Factor: 0.6]) = 1628 * 2 = 3,257 EXP Col: 0 (page) + 488 (Laurel Wreath) = 488 col Pinball EXP: 1,500(Quest) + [Word Count: 3878/10 = 387.8] * [True Tier: 8] * [Group Factor: 0.6] = 3361 * 2 = 6,722 EXP Col: 0 (page) + 1008 (Laurel Wreath) = 1008 col

“I would enjoy another quest with you both. I’ve had the pleasure of working with Pinball before. I enjoy seeing him.” She hoped he would see that as the compliment and admonishment she intended. Acanthus turned away to smile faintly when Morningstar complimented her. Composing herself, she returned Morningstar’s gaze. “I’m sure you were both more than able to handle this quest yourselves. Thank you for allowing me to come and earn experience alongside you all.” She gave a quick bow. Shivering at a sudden gust of wind, Acanthus looked around the icy landscape. “Where will we need to

Acanthus slid into the meeting room as late as possible. She had been there an hour early, of course. On time is late, she thought firmly. But the thought of such a large crowd gave her physical anxiety, and she hoped that walking in late would avoid the worst of the small talk. First would come the pleasant hellos—those were never bad. Then the introductions. And then the questions. Oh, Acanthus, I didn’t see you at the last floor boss meeting. Or any of the others. Where have you been all this time? And Acanthus would have to find some answer that was somehow truthful, yet evasive, yet polit

She eyed Oz suspiciously as he offered a cigarette. When it became clear it was not a prank, she snatched the cigarette from his fingers, lighting it quickly before tossing the spent match into the bushes. Taking a long drag of the cigarette, she was surprised by the green tea flavor. Mildly disappointed... But she took another quick pull. “I… don’t smoke,” she lied. “Usually. Only whenever we had to pull all-nighters at work. Which wasn’t that often,” she lied again. “I didn’t realize that Cardinal allowed smoking. Thank you,” she finished, finding her manners. Acanthus had made it throu

“Olive trees are angiosperms, which makes them flowering plants,” Acanthus explained as Morningstar and Freyd cleaned them up. She tried her best to avoid over-explaining—part of Freyd’s tone suggested that he was simply making light conversation. He probably already knew all of this. “Olives are the part of the tree that forms around the seeds. I believe that makes them fruits. They’re like grapes, but good.” Her last sentence overlapped with Morningstar’s comment, eyebrows raising as she restrained herself from speaking further. When Morningstar mentioned the tomato garden, Acanthus began to

Crafting for 9/18/2024 Langue de chat consumed (Ambition). +1 EXP per craft (+2 total from Trinket | Tuning Fork) Crafter's respite consumed. (230280) Daily attempts reset! EXP 1401/2559

Crafting for 9/17/2024 Langue de chat consumed (Ambition). +1 EXP per craft (+2 total from Trinket | Tuning Fork) 1273/2559 EXP. Crafter's Respite used! (ID 230277-3). Daily resets attempt. Jesus Christ this might be the worst crafting day I've ever had. EXP: 1317/2559

“Once upon a time.” It was another one of his evasive answers. She almost pressed him for more. She was becoming desperate for something to latch on to. But she saw how focused he was on rowing, his mouth pursed in concentration. “...Ok.” Pinball rowed them out to the middle of the water. Without land nearby, Acanthus started to become unsettled. “Pinball, how do we find the fish? It’s one thing to track bosses on land, but are we supposed to… get in the water?” She glanced nervously into the black water. “Pinball, please stay settled in the boat. I don’t want to fall in. Pinbal

Cordelia led the charge, but Acanthus stayed right behind, just like she promised. Once Cordelia struck the King’s armor, Acanthus circled around to the other side. She knew she wouldn’t be able to crash through the armor the way Cordelia could. She had to strike more resourcefully. With a quick scan of the armor, she noticed cracks along the joints. She drove her blade into the open joints, and worked the blade ruthlessly. The king growled as she tore Meteor free, and the king began to bleed from the wound. “It’s disappointing that we can’t stun him. I am at a disadvantage here.” She had

End these. Then we can Nemo? “Gladly.” She swept over the remaining snapdragons, reducing them to shards with a few elegant sword strokes. “That was tiring,” she said as she sat down for a moment. Her energy bar was almost out. “I’m glad that ended when it did. I was cutting that last fight close.” Acanthus laid down on the grass and closed her eyes. The weather was at its optimal setting. Maybe it always was in this little corner of paradise, but Acanthus didn’t care. She was simply enjoying the moment. The sun bathed her in warm light, and a light breeze kept her cool. In the dist

“Theory exercises, as in music theory. I don’t remember much from high school, but sometimes writing down chords can help inspire some different ideas for performance crystals…” She was about to explain more, but she noticed Morningstar seemed to trip over a cornucopia that Acanthus hadn’t noticed before. A sprawling orchard spawned behind them, guarded by… fruit soldiers? They bore a striking resemblance to the “limes” Acanthus had pilfered, except they were large, limbed, and angry. Sour, even. Four of them flanked Morningstar, poking him with spears. "Who dares intrude on the grou

“Ah, a damage potion. That makes more sense.” She quaffed the potion quickly, doing her best to avoid any flavor. She was mostly successful, but did detect an odd note of… Sharp? Sometimes the potions tasted in ways that didn’t seem possible, likely a product of the Nervegear funneling all the senses directly into the brain. Speaking of senses, she fought to keep disappointment out of her face as she saw Freyd produce food. But she was not about to turn away free buffs. Tentatively, she took a small bowl of the shrimp gumbo and ate. The food almost immediately bounced back up. She turned,

Kumaki tumbled down the stairs, landing with an ungainly *tump*. Acanthus followed behind, scooping the cub up from the ground. It seemed content to be carried, giving happy looks to anyone curious enough to stare. Sliding into a booth near the entrance, she took one look at the menu. It perplexed Acanthus, so she decided to simply copy what NIGHT had ordered. She was worried that her taste buds would act up anyways. Her palate’s rejection of in-game food wasn’t as bad as it had been when she started playing, but she still worried about eating in company. Thankfully everything tasted wond

Nymoria finished off the snapdragons easily. Acanthus exhaled, not realizing until then that she had been tense watching Nymoria. Not that she couldn’t handle herself. It was just leftover anxiety from the last time Acanthus had let one of the snapdragons through. You need to accept that you won’t block every hit. But part of her railed against the thought. In a game where her life was on the line, Acanthus didn’t want anything short of perfection. She trotted up to Nymoria as the snapdragons faded away. “What do you say to one more pack? I lost track of time, and I promised a friend that

Acanthus watched emotionlessly as Freyd dragged the cat to its death. The thing bucked when the meathook sunk into the monster’s side, dragging it closer and closer to Whisper. It fights so hard for something that isn’t really going to die. Its cries for help are just the result of some conditional programming. None of it is real. Turning away as Freyd struck the final blow, she saw Morningstar down a bottle of something purple. “You weren’t hit during the fight,” she remarked. “So is that a potion to help you collect olives? I should be able to help find some.” She started picking throug